Infant&#39;s bathing device



Aug. 19, 1952 H, KENNEDY 2,607,044-

INFANT'S BATHING DEVICE Filed Aug. 24, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l 23 lNVE NTOR I ATTORNEYS B. H. KENNEDY INFANTS BATHING DEVICE Aug. 19, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Aug. 24, 1948 FIG. 4

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MW ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 19, 1952 UNITED S E INFANTSBATHINGDEVICE Benjamin-HL-Kennedyi'PittsforcLN. Y. M h ADDlication-August-M, 1948, Serial asail This invention relates to infants bathing devices of the. type having a flexible tub and a folding support therefor, and has for its object the provision ofa-n improved tubv and connection of the tubtov the support. My invention simplifies the construction, reduces the cost, and gives improved results in the way of sanitation and eflicient use.

I attach the long sides of the tub to longitudinal rails or like members of the support in any suitable manner, and fold the ends together with pleats or folds to effect end closures and to give depth to the tub, but II'dO not permanently secure the pleats. In accordance with the invention, the end folds or pleats are openable and are held together with suitable fastening means so thatv the ends may be readily opened or unfolded for cleaning, and at least one end is provided with means .to control the discharge of waterfrom the tub when the folds at this end are opened or unfolded; I provide means for holding the, free end of the tub. while the folds and. hence the end itself is. being opened to prevent spilling of water therefrom. ..Af ter the folds and end have been opened, the-free end may be lowered gradually to allow the water to flow. out at any desired rate.

.In a preferred embodiment of my invention, I attacha barrier and wall to the tub which acts asadam when the endis lowered,- an opening in the tub at the end to drain out the water, and means to hold the end after it has been detached from the support. I prefer also to provide reenforcing means for the ends of the tub which'a re attachable to the support. Any suitable fastening or clasping means may be used to secure the openable folds together when the: tub is assembled in its operative condition for bathing the infant. I may use, for-example, grommets with pin couplings, 'such as a Dot fastener, or draw cords and the like, the object being to secure the end folds while the tub is assembled for bathing and-to provide for the facile-letting-out of the folds and opening of theend of the tub to drain outthe water ina controlled manner. For'convenience, the means for holding a the openable folds together are herein referred to as manually operable means.

In a-preferred form of the invention. 1' providethe end folds of both tubends with detachable connections so that the entire tubmay be opened outflat for complete cleaning.

My invention eliminates the objectionable bottom drains which have been difilcult tomake leak-proof" and to maintain in a sanitary con 4 Claims. (01. 4am)",

ditiom Moreover, the present; invention enables one toiemptythe water very quickly and to cl'ean and .drythe .end foldsg- These and other objects of the. invention will be better understoodaafter cimsidering thev following discussion...taken=in connectionwith. the accompanying drawingsr in which:

Fig. ,1 is a perspective. from-aboveof an infant's bathing device embodying my invention; Fig. 2. is a, fragmentaryienlargementof. one endvof thetub of Figil; o

, Fig. ,3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1. illustrating one. end when; opened, for discharge of. the watem. r

Fig.4 is a perspective, from above ofithede viceof Fig. 1 with both ends, open; and

' Fig. 5 is a view along line-5 5M Fig. 1. I

The infant's bathing devices illustrated inv the drawings comprises a collapsible or folding type support including twopairsot cross-legs I, and 2- pivotally connected near their centers by pins 3, and interconnected by the lower longitudinal rails l and, 5 and the upper longitudinal rails 6 and. l. Thesemembers (I. toil.) comprise the collapsibe support mime tub '8. The tub'is formed of a rectangular piece offiexible. sheet material, such as rubb'er or a. fabric coated, with a waterproof materialQsiw'hv as. rubber" or the" like. The upper rails 6 "andfT are inserted. through side tunnels l0" and H formed on the. longitudir nal 'sides' of the tub and, thereby support. the sides of the tub; Pins or tacks I'Z'liold the tub in. position on the rails.

' The ends l3 and t4 of'the tub have. two pleats or. gusset folds 15-46 email-"4'8. respectively, deta'chably connected together with Dotfasteners' IQ-19, 20-20", N and '22. The male part (19.20521. and 22') of eachtfastener isattac'hed tothe tub proper; as best'shown in. Fig, 2, while the femaleparts l9 and-20'- of the fasteners 19 and 20 are attached to reenforcing straps 23 atlone end;(l3rof-theg'tub; The female parts (not shown) of-thdfasteners 2i and 22' Meattach-edf-tosimilarreenforcingstraps '24 at the other end M)- of the The registering or coincident holes in the. gusset folds ofthe tub through which themalepart oi the fasteners" I9 etc. extend -are"prefera'blyreenforced with fiat tub. The straps are sewed to the edg'e of the tub end. 'In the formoffithe.inventiomillustratedin the drawings; the straps 23 are then-ea ends or holding the folds in position and of securing the straps (looped over the upper rails) to the gusset-folded portions of the tub. When the fasteners are disconnected the tub may be stretched out fiat. as shown in Fig. 4.

In that form of the invention illustrated in the drawings, one end (13) of the tub is provided with means for the controlled discharge of water from .thetub: A piece of sheet material 30 such as that used toform thetub, and having the general shape shown, is attached to the end [3 of the tub to form an end wall. :The piece so may be an extension of .thetub' end and hence integral .therewith,;-although it 1 may be a separate piece sewed to the end. The strap 23 is placed in position and stitched-to the tub. The seam of stitching 30.4 is curved inwardly to hold the sides in a more or'less upright position, as shown in Fig. 3. When the gussetfolds'ii and it are made and held together by the fasteners l9 and 20, respectively; the piece30 lies fiat against the upper inside face of the end I3, as shown in Fig. 1. When the fasteners are unclasped, the folds let out, andthe end lowered, the piece 30 forms an upright wall or'barrier'at'that' endof the tub, as shown in Figs. 2' and 3i Adjacent the line of c'ontactof the piece 30 with the end properof the tub, and a slight distance inwardly of that line, the tub endl3 has a water-discharge hole-3| preferably provided with a protective grommet. When the tub is in its operative water-holding position (Fig. l), the discharge hole 3! is well above the normal water level inthe tub, but when the folds -46 are let out and the end of the tub lowered (Figs. 2 and 3) the hole'3l is atthe tubs lowermost point,

to permit the discharge of all the water from the tub. The end 13' of the tub, when let down (-Figs. 2 and 3) extends beyond the supportso that the discharging water may flow into a suitable vessel placed outside .the cross-legs I (Fig. 3). The piece mayconv'eniently serve as a handle in lowering the end [3 of the tub, and in furtheris formed by clamping the gusset folds together and to theloloped straps 23, as showninFig. 1. Water to the, desired level is poured into the tub. When it is desired to empty the'water in thetub, the nursemaid pulls upthe piece 30, inserts a opening thefasteners l 9 ,.and 20 to releasethe Straps 2 andletoutgthefolds [Sand 1-6. as the unfo1ded;,end;;l3 ot the tub lowered, thedischarge hole 3|; drops belowthe water level and permits the, discharge. of water into the vessel beside the -1egs.:!;2-. The rate. f h e, o

4 the tub end. The end need not be manually held until all the water has been emptied from the unfolded tub, since the piece 30 closes the end to provide a shallow pocket from which the remainder of the water will drain when the end is completely lowered. When so lowered, the end l3 may be readily cleaned and dried before assembling the end for reuse. If desired, the other end l4 may be unclasped andcleanedafter each use of the 1tub1 f When both ends are unclasped,

the tub may be stretched out fiat by pushing the rails B and l as far apart as the tub material permits, as shown in Fig. 4. When thus stretched out, the entire tub material may be readily cleaned and dried, and the ends 13 and M then refolded and-clasped for use of the tub in the next bathing operation.

It will be seen from the following description that the invention resides primarily in the provision of openable end folds held together when the tube is .assembledforbathing by manually operable fastening means. By manually undoing or unclasping thefastening means, the folds are opened or let outand the end of the tub is thus opened to permit the discharge of water, either by the open or free end acting as a spout or by the provision of a hole in the tub positioned above the normal water level when the folds are fastened together and at the lowermost level of the tub when the folds are opened and the free end is lowered. For controlling the rate of discharge of water from the open free end. of the tub, a handle or equivalentgripping means is provided for gently or. gradually lowering the open end. Preferably, both ends vof the tub have openable folds held together 'by manually operable fastening means, but only one end need be provided with means for facilitating the discharge of water. Since the openable end folds and the frequent opening thereof tendto weaken the usual attaohment of the tub to the upper longitudinal rails of the collapsible support, reenforcing straps are preferablyprovided forv strengthening the support at the ends. of the tub when the folds are assembled and fastened together for bathing.

Iclaim:

1. The improvement in infants bathing devices having a flexible tub and a support therefor which comprises at least one end oft-he tub having openable folds, manually operable means for holding the folds in position to give .the contemplated depth to the tub, aflexible end wall attached to said end which assumes an upright position-when the folds are; open andtheend lowered for dis: charge of the water, a hole in the tub near said end which occupies a position above thenormal levelof water in thetub when the end is, closed and another position at least as low as the bottom of the tub when the end is lowered, the flexible end wall serving as a barrierto confine the water when the end 'islowered and handle means, for holding the end of the tub by hand to control the emptying of ,water ;when the folds are open.

2. The imprgvelnentin infantfs bathing devices having, a, flexibletuband a folding support therefor whichcoinprises areenforcing strap attachedto the edge 'Of the tub at at least one end.

said strap passing around the support to carry part of the weightof the tub, openable folds, at each endof thetub togive the tub depth, manually operable fastening means for securing the end folds infolded position, the folds at the .end having a reenforcing strap when opened andloweredforming an extension from the tub the lower Lthevvatercanbe controlled by: a u ly 0 {(5 po tion of which-is not higher than the bottom of the tub, a hole in the bottom of the extension which is above the normal water level in the tub when the end is closed, an end wall attached to the end of the extension and foldab-le therewith which stands upright when the end is lowered to close the end and direct the water through the hole, and handle means for holding the end of the tub by hand and controlling the emptying of water when the folds are open.

'3. Theimprovement in infants bathing devices having a flexible tub and a folding support therefor which comprises at least one end of the tub having openab-le folds and a portion extending beyond the support when the folds are open and the end lowered for emptying the tub, an end wall attached to said extending portion to serve as a closure for the end, a hole in the bottom of the tub near the end wall when in its extending position for the discharge of water, and handle means for holding the end of the tub by hand when the folds are open to control the emptying of water.

4. The improvement in infants bathing devices having a flexible tub and a folding support which comprises openable folds at each end of the tub' 25 to give the tub depth, manually operable fastening means for securing the folds in folded position, a flexible member secured to the outer edge of one end of the tub and adapted to form an upstanding wall when the folds of thatend are open and the end is lowered, and a hole in the tub adjacent the juncture of said member and said end adapted to be above the normal water level in the tub when assembled for bathing and at the bottom of the tub when the folds are open and the end lowered for discharge of water.

BENJAMIN H. KENNEDY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,753,427 Phillips Apr. 8, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 332,315 France Oct. 26, 1903 

